Writer / Marcia Vigren
Maybe you just bought your first house, or fifth, and are wondering: What needs to be done to care for this place? Who are air conditioning repair services that I can call? There will soon be an app for finding dependable help in the Indianapolis area and nearby areas. It’s called Haven.
Haven is a company that was founded in February at the Launch Fishers site by President Jim Brown, Head of Marketing Joe Wanninger and Head of Product Craig Sturgis. Each has a background that helped build the perfect combination for a computer app start-up.
In Brown’s words, the idea of Haven came out of their own “frustration of being homeowners and not knowing what to do and how to take care of our homes. We have a varying degree of DIY nature in us, going from me, with none, to Craig who likes to do it all but doesn’t have time.” They realized how cumbersome it was to shop around for good help and decided to create a tool to make it easier.
The best part: This application service is free to the homeowner. It is paid through the service provider. “We take a commission off that deal. I like to say, ‘We don’t make a dime until they make a dollar,’” said Brown.
From lawn mowing to house cleanings, fertilizer treatments to mulching, and even Christmas light application, these duties can be initiated through Haven. The benefits of this app are endless. Connected to a calendar, it will remind you of timely home maintenance. You can choose to do the work yourself, in which case, Haven can give you data to help you complete the task. If you choose to hire the job out, Haven can hand select the best service provider and you will only pay them through the app if you’re satisfied with the work.
Once you input your address, Haven is able to collect detailed data about your house. It can also store information you supply, such as your house’s paint colors and how much mulch you used, to help in future projects. Haven will even track the local weather. For example, it can offer shoveling services after a snowfall. Or it can tell you when the conditions are perfect for an undesirable ice dam – and how to prevent it. “This is proactive response … doing things before you know you need to do it,” said Brown.
“This next generation of homeowners are used to ordering a taxi cab on their phone. They just want a good service provider to do a good job at a fair price.”
The website, JoinHaven.com, is compiling an invite list now and the company is planning to launch the application to Indianapolis and the nine surrounding counties in January. “Indianapolis is a great test market because of the affordability of housing and the fact that most homes have yards. Hamilton County will be our biggest influence behind the success of this app.
We are used to hiring services out here,” declares Brown. If all goes well, they hope to expand to Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, by the end of 2015.
Go to JoinHaven.com for more information or to get onto the invite list.
